Sunday, February 4, 2018

Preliminary results for the Loop Around Lancaster in Reverse 200k have been posted on the websitehttp://parando.org/PA200k_Results180203.pdf and will be submitted to RUSA later this week. Please have a look and point out anything amiss.

The day wasn't too bad for a winter brevet day. Sunny skies made it feel warmer. It's all relative since it was 14F at the start. Everyone was dressed accordingly and as a result notched another 100% completion rate. Congratulations!! Finishers enjoyed food and drink at the St. Boniface brewery In Ephrata. The personal pizzas were a big hit.

The field saw a little more of first finisher Tim Creyts than usual as a flat had him off the bike for a while. The combination of cold hands with a tubeless rim/tire setup made dismounting the tire a real chore. James Haddad notched another completion aboard his fixed gear bike. Tom Dermody persevered though a few (a dozen by his estimate) bonus miles resulting from a failure to print ALL pages of the cue sheet to complete his first brevet. He resorted to reviewing the cue on-line and trying to memorize the next few turns. Those who regularly ride in this area know how daunting a task that can be as the criss-cross maze of roads makes for lengthy cues sheets. Chappeau Tom!

Speaking of perseverance, Saturday's finish marked Rudi Mayr's completion of the difficult PA R-12 award. The R12 is challenging enough, but Rudy managed to clip in for a dozen PA events, including January's moving schedule target, to join the small group of Randonneurs who have earned this award. Well Done!

The most unusual happening involved Bill Fischer and SPOT2. I routinely check on rider progress during brevets. Its what organizers do. I noticed that Bill had stopped along the NW River Trail near Bainbridge and remained there all afternoon. No calls for help so I assumed he had the situation under control. Turns out the SPOT fell out of his bag. He had no idea where, but I did. Thankfully, the SPOT was still pinging away and was easily recovered the next morning.

We will take a short break to regroup before diving into the ACP SR events commencing with the 200k on March 24. The 300k will be held on April 14, the 400k on May 5, and the 600k on May 19-20. All of the spring ACP SR events will be staged out of our unofficial rando clubhouse at the Weisel Hostel near Quakertown, PA. Details will be posted on the website.

The PA Randonneurs Flèche will be held on April 19-22, with our traditional Flèche finish breakfast at the Weisel Hostel on April 22. Details and registration deadlines will be announced soon in a separate communication. Teams and captains should already be talking.